At around 11:30 pm, a fire broke out in the storehouse of 30 Tughlak Crescent, the official home of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court. A police emergency call was made at 11:43 pm by his private secretary.
Later, semi-burnt sacks of what appeared to be Indian currency were found, but there has been no official confirmation about what action was taken next.
This has raised many questions, especially about why no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered yet.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed the issue while speaking to a group of Rajya Sabha interns. Without naming the judge directly at first, he said that India’s criminal justice system depends on starting an investigation through an FIR.
“In a democratic nation, the purity of its criminal justice system defines its direction…for a criminal investigation, the initiation has to be by an FIR, First Information Report. It is the law of the land that every cognizable offence is required to be reported to the police, and failure to do so, failure to report a cognizable offence, is a crime; therefore, you all will be wondering why there has been no FIR,” he said.
He then pointed out that the judge in question was Justice Yashwant Varma and reminded the audience that piles of cash were found at his house last month.
The Vice President explained why an FIR hasn’t been filed yet. He said that even though the law allows an FIR against anyone, including high officials, judges are treated differently.
“The answer is simple. An FIR in this country can be registered against anyone, any Constitutional functionary, including the one before you. One has only to activate the rule of law. No permission is required. But if it is a judge, their category, an FIR cannot be registered straightaway. It has to be approved by the concerned judiciary, but that is not given in the Constitution,” Dhankhar explained.
VP Dhankhar also reminded everyone what the Indian Constitution really states about legal immunity.
“The Constitution of India has accorded immunity from prosecution only to the Honourable President and the Honourable Governors,” he said.
He said that judges seem to enjoy a special kind of protection from investigation, even though such immunity is not mentioned in the Constitution.
Here is a timeline of key developments in the Justice Yashwant Varma case
March 14, 2025 – Fire incident
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A fire broke out around 11:30 PM in a storeroom near the office at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi, which is Justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence.
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A PCR call was placed at 11:43 PM by the Personal Secretary of Justice Varma, though no separate call was made to the fire department.
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At the time of the incident, Justice Varma was in Bhopal, while his daughter and elderly mother were present at the residence.
March 15, 2025 – Initial reports
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The Delhi Police Commissioner sent a report to Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, stating that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit and mentioning the discovery of several sacks containing burnt currency.
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya, who was in Lucknow at the time, was notified of the incident and later spoke to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna.
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Justice Varma returned to Delhi later that evening, and the Registrar-cum-Secretary to Chief Justice Upadhyaya visited the site of the fire with him.
March 16, 2025 – Inspection and findings
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The Registrar-cum-Secretary submitted an inspection report stating that the storeroom was used to store household items and had been accessible to anyone, as it was not locked.
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The Police Commissioner clarified that the PCR call had been made by Justice Varma’s Personal Secretary, who was alerted by a servant.
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Debris and partially burnt articles were removed from the storeroom on the morning of March 15.
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya returned to Delhi that evening and met with CJI Khanna.
March 17, 2025 – Meeting with Justice Varma
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya had a meeting with Justice Varma at the Delhi High Court Guest House.
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During the meeting, Justice Varma stated that the storeroom contained only discarded household items, which were accessible to domestic help, gardeners, and CPWD personnel.
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Upon viewing photographs and videos of the burnt currency, Justice Varma expressed concern about the possibility of a conspiracy against him.
March 20, 2025 – Collegium decision
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya sent the photographs, video, and messages to CJI Khanna.
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The Supreme Court Collegium decided to recommend transferring Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court.
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya concurred with this recommendation, citing the importance of the “better administration of justice.”
March 21, 2025 – Media coverage and further inquiries
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The Times of India reported the fire incident, which led to further investigation.
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya wrote to CJI Khanna, suggesting that the matter warranted a deeper investigation.
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CJI Khanna directed Justice Varma to clarify the presence of the cash in the storeroom, specify its source, and identify who removed the burnt money.
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CJI Khanna also requested a list of staff assigned to Justice Varma’s residence over the past six months and sought details of his mobile phone call records.
March 22, 2025 – Justice Varma’s response
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya forwarded Justice Varma’s response, along with the staff details and mobile phone call records, to CJI Khanna.
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In his response, Justice Varma denied any knowledge of the burnt currency and maintained that neither he nor his family had any involvement with it.
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Justice Varma clarified that no sacks containing burnt currency were ever recovered or seized from the storeroom.
March 23, 2025 – Video emerges
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Asian News International released a video showing burnt currency scattered on dried leaves outside Justice Varma’s residence.
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Questions arose regarding how the burnt currency had remained undiscovered for nine days after the fire.
March 24, 2025 – Judicial work withdrawn
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After several meetings on March 20 and 24, the Supreme Court Collegium decided to recommend Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court.
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The Delhi High Court also withdrew judicial work from Justice Varma “with immediate effect” pending further orders.
March 25, 2025 – In-house committee visit
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A three-member in-house committee, consisting of Justices Sheel Nagu, G.S. Sandhawalia, and Anu Sivaraman, was appointed by CJI Khanna to investigate the allegations.
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The committee visited Justice Varma’s residence to gather information about the incident.
March 28, 2025 – Transfer notification
April 3, 2025 – Forensic Verification
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Forensic experts conducted tests to verify the authenticity of the burnt currency, examining UV and infrared features, serial numbers, series, and other security details.
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Fire service and police teams reviewed surveillance footage and questioned staff and witnesses to reconstruct the timeline of events.
April 5, 2025 – Oath ceremony
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Justice Yashwant Varma was sworn in as a judge of the Allahabad High Court during a private ceremony administered by Chief Justice Arun Bhansali.
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Despite protests from local bar associations in Allahabad and Lucknow, the ceremony went ahead as planned.
April 6, 2025 – Current status
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Justice Varma is now serving as a judge at the Allahabad High Court.
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The Supreme Court’s in-house inquiry continues, and forensic and administrative investigations are still underway.
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